Posted by Winton on March 17, 2001 at 11:31:25:
In Reply to: F Tuba posted by Band Director on March 16, 2001 at 22:31:49:
I would HIGHLY recommend using BBb tubas in band. Like Mr. Joe S. and Martin said, it's the use of colors. The reason F tuba is used for solo works mostly is because its tone is a lot more clear and bright. The BBb tuba is used in band settings mostly because of its very bass-like tone. The band usually prefers the BBb because it has the most overtones for the bass sound; but CC is still used because the CC is a contrabass. I did play a PT-10 F tuba in band at Biola University once because my other tuba was in repair. It did the job, but it didn't sound right at all. My band director kept telling me I was too loud, but the fact was that it was lacking bass.
Winton